Hearts and Minds - An Elder Scrolls Adventure
by PsychoEmperor
Summary: Orinrilellion lacked any grand ambition after his exile. After losing two families, he merely wanted to travel Tamriel to spread the good word of Kynareth as his predecessor and mentor once did with him. Due to an age old conflict between his family and the Thalmor, he flees for what little safety there's left in Tamriel in the harsh, northern-most province of Skyrim.


**Hearts and Minds - Prologue chapter**

The Beginning.

_My dear readers, it is my honor and privilege to share with you a tale of adventure and intrigue, love and loss. The tale of a individual of unfamiliar origins in an unfamiliar land who rose to the challenge and faced evil the likes of which was thought indomitable. This is the Story of the legendary "Last Dragonborn" and how his actions, slowly but surely, changed the hearts and minds of all Skyrim._

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Our story starts in year 22 of the 4th Era with a young Bosmer, or "Wood Elf" in the common tongue named Anharoldil Sagemire. Even though he was an outsider, he found residence in the Summerset Isles as a writer and major historian on Tamrielic lore while unbeknownst to anyone but himself was a member of the Blades as a spy on Altmer affairs. He was both well liked and respected, even amongst the highest echelons of Altmer society. Anharoldil was wealthy and had a happy family life with a beautiful Bosmeri wife and daughter.

He had everything he could ever ask for... Until the Thalmor took it all away from him. During the later months of the 22 year 4E, the Thalmor finally gained enough foothold to stage a coup and overthrow the political environment of the Summerset Isles. By the end of the coup, the Summerset Isles were once again Alinor, and by extension, the Capital Province of the Aldmeri Dominion just like it's 2nd era counterpart.

What followed after the successful coup was the beginning of the end for Anharoldil's way of life. The Thalmor in their belief of Altmer supremacy, began a campaign to drive out all non High Elves from Alinor, especially Anharoldil and his family due to his ties with the Blades. The Thalmor had a special interest in Blades agents within their province and were searching high and low for their capture or corpses.

The ensuing campaign resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of lives taken all to drive out the "outsiders" from the Isles as collateral damage. Unfortunately for Anharoldil, his wife and daughter were both such examples of the tyranny of the Thalmor. Though he never witnessed their deaths, he was told by a sympathizer of how they were both slaughtered in the streets by Thalmor agents while walking around the market of Dusk - Either due to their affiliation with a member of the Blades or just for being Bosmer.

Knowing that if he were to stay, he would most certainly share their fate, he fled the Isles, promising to avenge his lost family. He fled to Valenwood, his ancestral home, where he would soon find out a year later that, the arms of the Thalmor were ready to snatch it's next victim. He knew that if he were to be caught fighting, his skills would get noticed immediately, so he worked as an informant for any who were secretly fighting the Thalmor. It was a mournful life, but knew of no other way to go on.

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Over a hundred and fifty years would pass where, on one fateful day, he would meet an Orcish woman named Ragsha. She was a traveling sell-sword for a merchant caravan from Cyrodiil and just so happened to have taken notice of Anharoldil while he was in the market, though he hadn't noticed her due to his reserved nature - No thanks to his family's murderers.

While traversing the thick forests of Valenwood on his way to his home, Anharoldil was ambushed by a group of brigands, demanding his gold. He declined and ran as fast as he could, but he was no match for a flying arrow, which pierced his right calf. He figured that his end was near and he made peace with it, knowing that he would be able to see his long dead family once again. His peace ended however, as his pointed ears picked up the sounds of the clashing of weapons. The Orsimer woman he met in the market had been following him and now, she was his savior. She easily took on the brigands, who were not well versed in the way of brutal close quarters combat like she was, and helped Anharoldil back to his house, where she watched over him while his leg healed. Her compassion reminded Anharoldil of his past lover, which lead to the two falling deeply in love with each other.

Ragsha soon after returned to her caravan, where she delivered the news that she would be leaving their service to stay with Anharoldil. They married and on the 21st of Hearthfire 4E 178, Ragsha gave birth to their first and only son, who Anharoldil named after his father, Orinrilellion.

He was born during stressful times for Tamriel however. Civil unrest was all too common and resistance against the Thalmor's occupation of Valenwood was alive and well thanks to the ending of the Great War with the Aldmeri Dominions defeat at the Battle of the Red Ring. Anharoldil's talents were once again called upon to aid the resisting Bosmer in pushing the Thalmor out of their land. Unfortunately, they greatly underestimated their enemies current strength. They had figured the Thalmor was crippled after the loss, but they were at almost peak strength again after only 3 years.

After a colossal failure to achieve their goal, the resistance crumbled. This brought despair upon Anharoldil, but it would soon be his and Ragsha's end. One of the captured resistance fighters, after weeks of torture, gave away Anharoldil's position away as an informant.

Though not all was lost. The one who gave up the information also managed to break out of their captivity and make their way to Anharoldil and his family. They were terrified, as they knew that the Thalmor were, at most, days away from slaughtering them.

Ragsha, fearing for her now 2 year old son's life, called upon one of her merchant contacts from her days as a sell-sword. She called in a favor from an Argonian man named Haj-Gei Xersilus, a trusted friend of Ragsha. She pleaded Haj-Gei for him and his family to take in Orinrilellion and keep him safe while her and Anharoldil escape the Thalmor. He both eagerly and cautiously accepted, primarily fearful of the An-Xileel's reception of the boy. The An-Xileel being the Argonian supremacist and extremist group most famous for their unparalleled victory driving out the Daedra during the Oblivion Crisis.

Ragsha and Anharoldil both agreed that Argonia would be far safer in Argonia than in any other province so they took the chance and left Orinrilellion with the Argonian family. Hours later, Haj-Gei set sail for his home in Gideon with the young Orc in his arms.

Once they arrived, Haj-Gei's wife, El-Majee, took the babe in her arms and instantly fell in love with him. Though he wasn't a member of her race, she felt a motherly love form. El-Majee was incapable of having children of her own, so she loved the baby boy from the moment she laid eyes on him.

Early on into his childhood, Orinrilellion's adopted parents noticed something off about him. He would often interact with dangerous wildlife like it was nothing and knowing Argonia, everything living in the swampy land was dangerous. He would also appear to talk to the trees and plants, but they figured it was childlike imagination, even thought the Argonians had no room to talk. His behavior led to many of the other children treating him even worse than they would a normal outsider. This bothered him at first, but he would eventually learn how to mentally handle such hardships. Rather than spurring on conflict by throwing insults back or raising his fists, he would merely shrug off his bullies with a laugh and a smile. Unfortunately, the Argonian parents would never hear from Orinrilellion's family, presuming the worst and choosing to raise him. When he came of age, they told him the truth, but he took solace in knowing that he had a family, even if he wasn't related to them by blood.

When he was old enough, he wanted to help his mother in her alchemy shop as her formal assistant to which she gladly accepted the help. While teaching her adopted son her trade, she noticed how he never tasted the herbs she used yet, he knew their major properties. After teaching her son as much about the world of medicinal alchemy as she could, she decided to consult a priestess living in the swamp outside the city who was also a outsider like her adopted son. The Priestess, intrigued by the mentioned behavior, requested to meet him. The next day came and there before her stood the young, eight year old Orinrilellion.

There before the boy was a middle aged Breton woman with tribal markings across all of her exposed skin, especially her face, and she had a shrine to Kynareth with herbs and bottles hanging from the ceiling. The woman introduced herself as Ysonna Lenre. She explained that she was a priestess of Kynareth and that she would like to preform a ritual on him to identify something she suspected. Orinrilellion accepted and she began. She poured a powder-like substance in a circle around him and put an oily material on his palms and forehead. She began chanting words that were unlike any in known documented languages of Tamriel. An aura of magic began surrounding him and the oil began glowing.

The ritual confirmed her suspicions about Orinrilellion's mysterious gift with nature. Somehow, somewhere in his bloodline was ancient and historied blood in him. Within his veins was the blood of a Druid of Galen. An order dating back to the Mythic Era that was thought to be the progenitors of all Breton kind before it was confirmed that they're the result of interbreeding between the Direnni Altmer clan and the ancient Nedes.

The Druids of Galen, other than their previous misconception, were almost completely unknown, though the Priestess before Orinrilellion knew of their significance. After finding that out, she explains to him that he has the ability to channel the power of the "Wandering Ehlnofey" or the "Earth Bones" and interact with it, which is known as "Wild Magic." When he was talking with the flora and fauna of Black Marsh, he was actually talking with spirits even more ancient than Nirn itself. Unlike normal wild magic users, he has no need for ritual pyres or sacrifices like the Reachmen or Witches in the northern parts of Tamriel

The Priestess advised El-Majee to let her take on Orinrilellion as her student, which made the mother weary. She questioned how she knows so much about all of this. The Priestess, now knowing that she lacked any reason in withholding information, explains that she was once a Glenmoral Witch from the province of High Rock. She used to perform wild magic rituals but left after having a change of heart and embracing Kynareth. She wishes to use her knowledge to help steer Orinrilellion on the right path rather than the one she mistakenly walked earlier on in her life.

El-Majee, after hearing the explanation, reluctantly agreed, more out of love than fear. Ysonna began teaching Orinrilellion in the ways of Wild Magic while also teaching him about Kynareth. His life changed drastically as he took on the Tenants of Kynareth and honed his gifts. By the age of 10, he was able to manifest ethereal vines from the ground or from his body.

The Priestess was a master healer and well practiced user of magic, which made the local populace of Gideon, even the An-Xileel, overlook her stay due to her importance to their everyday health and well-being.

Orinrilellion noticed her work on the sick and elderly of Gideon, which spurred on an interest in following in his mentor's footsteps. He wanted to protect and cure people of all ailments that plague them. After much pleading, Ysonna reluctantly began teaching him her methods. Starting with Restoration and Destruction, and ending with Alteration and Illusion.

Her methods for healing were definitely unorthodox to say the least. None of the academic material Orinrilellion managed to get a hold of had any reference to what she was teaching. Ysonna taught that Destruction magic was not solely for self defense, but for the killing of disease and bacteria as well. Alteration for means of broken bones being lighter and less painful, while Illusion kept the patients calm and courageous during particularly arduous procedures. Orinrilellion questioned why they never used the conjuration school, but the Priestess simply said it was unnecessary for their duties. He wasn't the fastest learner, but over time, he gained a higher understanding of what he was being taught.

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After nearly a decade of mentoring, Ysonna felt that Orinrilellion was ready to take the next steps in his journey. She tasked him with traveling to the center of Black Marsh, which was said to be borderline uninhabitable by non-Argonians, and retrieve a long branch of a particular type of dark wood. The name of the wood was lost to history, but it's significance was certainly not. Though Orinrilellion, even after years upon years of study, was clueless on the matter, he set his sights east, towards the center of Black Marsh.

As he delved deeper and deeper into the treacherous swamps, the air began to burn his lungs, making him nauseous. He used his training and cured himself using his skill in Restoration magic. He began sinking in the thick muck, which caused him to cast an Alteration spell to walk on the muck. As he closed in on his destination after days of travel, he noticed the fauna had become increasingly dangerous, even for Black Marsh standards, so he used Illusion magic to cast chameleon on himself to hide.

Finally, after suffering countless ordeals, he made it. He witnessed what only a few non Argonians ever witnessed. A giant and very ancient dark swampy oak tree. He was tired, so he decided to rest against it for a couple of hours to catch his breath. Once he made contact with it however, it spoke to him. It was a language the likes of which he couldn't even comprehend, yet he understood it completely. The gibberish it told was unintelligible, but for some reason, Orinrilellion could feel it's intentions. The tree rarely got any visitors so it was overjoyed when the young Orc approached. It was even more overjoyed that he could understand him to some extent. This tree wasn't a Hist so it's sentience wasn't well known and it knew little of the outside world.

After hours upon hours of lively conversation, Orinrilellion informed the tree that he needed to find a branch of wood, particularly one of it's kind. Thankful for the respite from it's loneliness, a slender branch fell before Orinrilellion. He thanked the tree and began his trip home.

Half way home, he felt odd. His vision became blurry, his body started shaking, and blood trickled down his mouth as he coughed up blood. He realized that he spent too much time in the center of Argonia and must've been infected with a parasite or fungal infection of some kind. He remembered his ordeals on his way to the center and a spark of inspiration hit him. He began using his training in the School of Destruction magic to slowly and painfully purge himself of the ailment. He was successful and after a few days, reached Ysonna, thanks to a potion of stamina keeping him from passing out. Beaten, battered, and bruised, he collapsed in his mentors arms due to exhaustion while feeling the joys of victory.

Orinrilellion woke up a few days later surrounded by his family and mentor. El-Majee eagerly embraced her adopted son with tears running down her scaly face. Even though Argonians are notorious for their emotionless expressions, Ysonna could see the sheer joy in the woman's attempted smile. The scene was cut short however, when Ysonna walked up with the branch he collected on his journey. Though it looked mostly the same, there were a few additions to it. Adorned atop it were some golden rings and some wrappings for grip. She handed it over to Orinrilellion. She explained that the wood of that ancient tree has an unparalleled connection with the Earth Bones. Wood from such an ancient tree would be useful in channeling his innate wild magic. Finding the tree also proved to be the perfect final exam in his training with her.

With a smile, she walked out, stating that there was nothing more for her to teach him. Orinrilellion let her leave, but unbeknownst to him, that would be the last time he ever saw her. Later on, he would try to visit her, but found her swamp hut deserted with no signs of her presence or trail. This saddened him, but he knew that she would be watching him and to keep her from spreading the word of Kynareth around Tamriel would be selfish of him.

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A couple of years would pass while Orinrilellion assumed the role that his former mentor held. He would heal the injured and cure the sick. Unfortunately for him, political tensions in Black Marsh were at an all-time high in Gideon and the An-Xileel had their eye on him, seeing him as nothing more than an unwanted outsider.

Finding out that the pro-Argonian political faction were planning on killing their adopted son, they repeated history and convinced Orinrilellion to flee to the nearest city outside of Argonia, the city of Leyawiin in Cyrodiil. With a prolonged and emotional embrace between Orinrilellion, El-Majee and Haj-Gei, he left the Argonian province for the Imperial one. He spent his 22nd birthday alone while traveling towards the southern-most city of Cyrodiil.

Needing new purpose in life, Orinrilellion decided to take on the role of a pilgrim of Kynareth, much like his former mentor. His plan was to travel Cyrodiil, but he soon found out that the Thalmor had large presence in the Imperial Provence, so he quickly decided to leave. He needed a place to settle down and out of all the provinces, Skyrim was the least worst option for him. He purchased some warm clothes in Bruma and packed his bags.

While crossing the border, he was caught in a massive battle between the Imperial Legion and a rebel faction he knew nothing of. He was captured by the victorious Imperials and put on a cart, headed for the nearest settlement to be executed. Much like his real father before him, he looked death in the face with a smile.

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The beginning of a journey thousands of years in the making. The story of the last Dragonborn as he travels through Skyrim. This story will be told as if it were a book in the Elder Scrolls Universe. I'm not going to try too hard to stay true to it, but I feel like it would be cool. I don't know how much of the game I'll actually cover, but I intend for it to be a majority. Chapters in this story are going to be whole quests. Next chapter will be the headsman's axe to Riverwood titled, "The Prisoner."

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the prologue to this story! I'm not sure I'll ever have an update schedule, but I'll try to have the next chapter out soon. Life does tend to get in the way a lot of the time.

*0* = Notifying reader of a change in time.

If you're interested in seeing the reference sheet for Orinrilellion, check out my DeviantArt page! My username is: EmperorPsycho


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